There’s some cool stuff inside the iPad mini and the coolest-of-cats over at iFixit performed their usual teardown magic to find what said cool stuff was.

Per the teardown, iFixit found the device has a large metal plate behind its screen held in place by 16 screws. Similar plates were found in the iPhone 5, as well as the new fifth-generation iPod touch, which led the repair experts to conclude the plate is a “new iDevice design convention.”

Upon removing the thin panel, the first exposed integrated circuit is the Murata 339S0171 Wi-Fi module — a component that is also found inside the iPhone 5.

The integrated circuits controlling the display reveal the LCD panel was built by Samsung. Apple is said to be looking to buy components from companies other than Samsung, which is a chief rival, but the Korean electronics maker was also the sole supplier of LCD panels for the third-generation iPad Retina display earlier this year.

The disassembly also confirmed that the iPad mini does have stereo speakers. By replacing the 30-pin dock connector with the smaller Lightning port, Apple has “just enough space” to squeeze in a second speaker.

Antennas are also found atop each speaker in the iPad mini, presumably for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. The speakers are held in place by what iFixit said are some of the smallest screws they have ever seen.

The Lightning connector was also found to be soldered to the logic board in the iPad mini, a change from the dock connector in the third-generation iPad that would make repairs “very expensive.”

The full list of chips found on the logic board are:
– Apple A5 processor

– Hynix H2JTDG8UD2MBR 16 GB NAND Flash

– Apple 343S0593-A5

– Apple 338S1116 — an unknown chip found also found in the fifth-generation iPod touch; appears similar to Apple 338S1117 found in the iPhone 5

– Fairchild PCHPS FDMC 6676BZ

– Fairchild BC7BE F0MC 6683

If you’ve gotten your hands on an iPad mini and have any feedback, please let us know what’s on your mind in the comments section.

The fourth-gen iPad is faster with a better camera and a Lightning connector, but it’s apparently still the same beast as the third-gen iPad.

The cool cats at iFixit have completed a teardown of Apple’s new tablet and found that the tablet’s internal design has remained essentially untouched when compared to the previous iteration.

Hours after iFixit tore down the iPad mini, the firm did the same with Apple’s new 9.7-inch tablet to find that the iterative component changes didn’t warrant a redesign of the chassis or internal layout.

The tablet dissected by iFixit happened to be using an LG-sourced Retina display, not a Samsung panel like those first seen with the initial rollout of the third-generation iPad. At the time, it was reported that LG Display was ramping up production of their own high-resolution displays and began shipment months later. Samsung is still thought to be one of the main suppliers for the 9.7-inch panels, though Apple has recently made moves to diversify its supply chain.

Most of the significant changes were seen in the device’s logic board, which now boasts an A6X processor clocked at 1.4GHz with quad core graphics and 1GB of memory. Components on the backside of the board, such as the Broadcom touchscreen controller, were identical to the third-generation iPad.

Full list of chips found on the logic board:
– Apple A6X SoC

– Hynix H2JTDG8UD2MBR 16 GB NAND Flash

– Apple 338S1116 Cirrus Logic Audio Codec

– 343S0622-A1 Dialog Semi PMIC

– Apple 338S1077 Cirrus Logic Class D Amplifier

– QVP TI 261 A9P2

It appears that Apple chose not to utilize the space afforded by its switch to the Lightning connector, as the extra room is left unfilled. In fact, the Lightning connector is placed in a frame that is the same size as the outgoing 30-pin unit.

The other notable change is the tablet’s upgraded front-facing camera, which gets a spec bump from 0.3 megapixels to 1.2 megapixels, granting it the FaceTime HD moniker.

Unveiled alongside the iPad mini at a special event in October, the fourth-generation iPad is available today at only at brick-and-mortar Apple Stores, as preorders for the device sold out on Tuesday.

If you’ve gotten your hands on the new fourth-gen iPad and have any feedback to offer, please let us know in the comments.

Per AppleInsider, Apple on Thursday provided developers with a prerelease version of its forthcoming iOS 6.1 update, featuring improvements to its Maps application programming interface, and also issued a beta of Xcode 4.6.

Both iOS 6.1 and Xcode 4.6 are now available to download from Apple’s developer website. People familiar with the first iOS 6.1 beta indicated it is identified as “Build 10B5095f.”

The iOS 6.1 beta is available for the iPhone 5, iPhone 4S, iPhone 4 and iPhone 3GS; fourth-, third- and second-generation iPads; and the fifth- and fourth-generation iPod touch.

Beta versions of iOS 6.1 compatible with the iPad mini and new fourth-generation iPad, which will become publicly available tomorrow, are not said to be offered on Apple’s developer website.

The only major new addition to iOS 6.1 is said to be “Map Kit Searches” as part of the “Map Kit” framework. It now lets developers search for map-based addresses and points of interest.

A new class labeled “MKLocalSearch” is also said to offer map-based content using a natural language string. This will allow users to enter place name information or portions of an address to return relevant information.

In one example provided to developers, users could search the string “coffee,” and it would return the location of local coffee bars along with information about each one.

The new Xcode 4.6 beta is reportedly labeled as “Build 4H90b,” and it includes the iOS 6.1 beta SDK, along with Mac OS X 10.8 SDK. The pre-release version of Xcode includes the Xcode IDE, iOS simulator, and all required tools and frameworks for building OS X and iOS applications.

If you’ve gotten your hands on the new development tools and have any feedback to offer, please let us know in the comments.

On Thursday, Apple released Safari 6.0.2, an update to its web browser. The new version, a 40.2 megabyte download, includes the following fixes and new features:

– Safari 6.0.2 is a security update for which complete details can be found here.

Safari 6.0.2 requires an Intel-based Mac running Mac OS X 10.7.5 or later to install and run and can also be located and downloaded via Mac OS X’s Software Update feature. If you’ve tried the new version and have any feedback to offer, please let us know.

On Thursday, Apple released its iPhoto 9.4.2 update. The update, a 759 megabyte download, adds the following fixes and changes:
-Photos now can be added to shared streams or My Photo Stream by dragging them to “Photo Stream” in the source list.

– Multiple email addresses can now be copied and pasted in the “Shared with” field for shared streams.

– When more than five subscribers “Like” a photo in a shared stream, their names are now displayed correctly.

– Contextual menu now includes an Import command to import all the photos contained in a shared photo stream.

– Addresses the reliability of Shared Photo Streams when switching between iPhoto and Aperture with the same library.

-Fixes an issue that could prevent Microsoft Outlook from being used to email photos from within iPhoto.

– Updated national holidays are available for use in printed photo calendars.

– Includes stability improvements.

iPhoto 9.4.2 retails for US$49 as part of iLife ’11 and requires an Intel-based Mac running Mac OS X 10.7.5 or later to install and run.

If you’ve tried the update and noticed any changes, please let us know.

On Thursday, Apple released its iOS 6.0.1 update. The new operating system, a 626 megabyte update available through iTunes, adds the following fixes and changes:
– Fixes a bug that prevents iPhone 5 from installing software updates wirelessly over the air.

– Fixes a bug where horizontal lines may be displayed across the keyboard.

Per GigaOm, employees at Apple are said to be extremely satisfied with the ouster of iOS software chief Scott Forstall, who had apparently worn out his welcome at the company.

Sources familiar with the situation told GigaOm’s Om Malik that Forstall’s firing was met with a sense of “quiet jubilation,” particularly among those who worked in Apple’s engineering groups. One person quipped that a number of employees were going out for “celebratory drinks, even if there is a little bit of doubt about their roles in the future.”

Forstall’s departure from Apple was also said to be “fairly last minute.” A number of employees at Apple’s iOS and OS X teams only learned the news minutes before the press release was released to the public on Monday, and engineers were “caught off guard.”

Employees are also said to be excited about designer Jony Ive taking over the new human interface group, while many feel that Craig Federighi needs to prove himself in heading both the iOS and OS X teams.

While Forstall was said to be close with Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, none of the remaining executives particularly cared for Forstall. Ive, in particular, was said to have had a “rocky relationship” with Forstall.

Earlier reports also revealed that one significant reason why Forstall is out at Apple is because of his apparent refusal to sign an apology letter for the quality of the new Apple Maps application in iOS 6. When the letter was issued to the public, Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook was the only signature included.

Per AllThingsD, Apple announced on Tuesday that it will be pushing back the launch of iTunes 11 until November, citing unexpected delays and the desire to “get it right.”

The news comes after Apple in September said the new media purchasing and management hub would be ready for rollout later in October, but now the company is delaying release until some time in November.

“The new iTunes is taking longer than expected and we wanted to take a little extra time to get it right,” said spokesman Tom Neumayr. “We look forward to releasing this new version of iTunes with its dramatically simpler and cleaner interface, and seamless integration with iCloud before the end of November.”

Speculation suggests that the recent Apple management overhaul, more specifically the departure of Scott Forstall, played a role in the delay. Eddy Cue, the executive that will take on some of the iOS chief’s duties including Maps and Siri, is also in charge of iTunes, which could be a factor in the hold up. It should be noted that the rumors are just that and have little to no supporting evidence.

Some of the new features expected with iTunes 11 are a better layout, faster performance, full-library search, improved iCloud integration, redesigned mini-player and full-screen support, among others.

No matter how nifty your devices are, it’s the next-gen stuff that smacks of awesome promises.

Per AppleInsider, processor company ARM on Tuesday unveiled new its next-generation of high-performance, power sipping 64-bit chips — CPUs that could power future devices from companies like Apple as soon as 2014.

ARM’s new Cortex-A50 processor series is based on the ARMv8 architecture. The series will initially include the Cortex-A53 and Cortex-A57 processors with new energy-efficient 64-bit processing technology.

ARM said its new system-on-chips will be available for use in products ranging from smartphones to servers. The new chips will be 64-bit-capable, but will also support 32-bit software.

ARM said the addition of 64-bit execution to its A50 chip line will “enable new opportunities in networking, server, and high-performance computing.” The new chips are expected to boost smartphone and tablet speeds while also reducing power consumption.

The Cortex-A57 will be the most advanced high-performance applications processor, while the Cortex-A53 has the distinction of being the world’s smallest 64-bit processor, and ARM’s most power-efficient application processor.

Currently, Apple’s iPhone, iPad, iPod touch and Apple TV are all powered by custom chips based on ARM’s reference designs. Apple’s work in this area has grown over the years, as the new A6 chip in the iPhone 5 represents Apple’s first custom-designed CPU core.

The A6 chip is based on Apple’s own ARMv7-based processor design, and is not based on ARM’s Cortex-A9 or Cortex-A15 designs. The chip features a gigabyte of RAM with two CPU and three GPU cores, and Apple’s first-ever control of the design allowed the company to customize the performance as they chose.